re: Why Are Food Trucks Not Allowed In New Orleans?(Posted by Fun Bunch on 5/7/13 at 12:47 pm to BeeFense5)

Restaurants were dead set against them, didn't want the competition. And NOLA's first real exposure to them was after Katrina, and the ones that came were the Latin ones that were total shitholes with hundreds of health code violations.

andouilleOhio State FanA table near a waiter.Member since Dec 20047417 posts

re: Why Are Food Trucks Not Allowed In New Orleans?(Posted by andouille on 5/7/13 at 1:00 pm to TigerWise)

I have to sympathize with the restaurants. The cost of setting up a brick & mortar restaurant in NO is unreal and the competition is fierce. The restaurants are the backbone behind the city's renaissance, they have a lot of clout and they should, if they had not spent fortunes rebuilding the city would be years behind where it is.

Protecting that investment from some guy with a fraction of the commitment is very reasonable. What may seem a 'right' to a consumer has another viewpoint.

quote:I guess I'm wondering about why they aren't more popular and abundant.

They are popular.

The issue is a legitimate concern to the city. It's not just straight competition.

If food trucks were given free reign, they would impact and potentially hurt the current brick and mortar places. Over time, if some restaurants that are already struggling started closing, it would have a negative effect on property values.

The trucks have a competitive advantage as they have lower operating costs. While they have the advantage, they offer less of a benefit to the city. It would make it less likely for another restaurant to enter the area as the comp. is stacked against them.

It's not as simple as enjoying a slightly cheaper, possibly better tasting meal.

re: Why Are Food Trucks Not Allowed In New Orleans?(Posted by Catman88 on 5/7/13 at 1:28 pm to BeeFense5)

Isnt there a councilman in BR that ownes some restaurants also trying to restrict it in BR? That could be your answer though. Who makes the rules? They might have a vested interest in protecting themselves in NOLA as well.

re: Why Are Food Trucks Not Allowed In New Orleans?(Posted by notiger1997 on 5/7/13 at 1:31 pm to Catman88)

quote:Isnt there a councilman in BR that ownes some restaurants also trying to restrict it in BR? That could be your answer though. Who makes the rules? They might have a vested interest in protecting themselves in NOLA as well.

Yes, there is a punk in BR causing that problem.

Don't know of any issues such as that with the New Orleans debate. Just a much more complex situation.

re: Why Are Food Trucks Not Allowed In New Orleans?(Posted by BayouBengal on 5/7/13 at 1:34 pm to BeeFense5)

In Houston food trucks must be within so many feet of a working bathroom. That limits their mobility some. Plus I think there is a law about no exposed propane in the downtown area but the food trucks in Houston don't seem to be struggling at all.

re: Why Are Food Trucks Not Allowed In New Orleans?(Posted by threeputt on 5/7/13 at 1:36 pm to BeeFense5)

I have the same opinion of food trucks as I do festival food. Why in the world would somebody in new orleans want to actually eat at a festival or a food truck? This concept is beyond my scope of knowledge